by Thriving Mama

Created on: August 22, 2009

The decision to invest the time in preparing homemade baby food is often a wise one and can provide a great return in the long run. Some children introduced to homemade baby foods have an easier time adjusting to table food later on because they've already been exposed to the fresh food flavors. Not flavors preserved in jars on a shelf for long periods of time. With a little bit of freezer space, a small amount of invested time can provide a bounty of prepared food for a child. There are many specialty items on the market to assist a parent in the process of freezing baby food for their child, but there are also inexpensive methods that will provide the same end results.

When freezing homemade baby food, it is important to keep in mind how much the child will eat at a meal. Most infants will only eat a couple of teaspoons of solid food at a time when it is first introduced. As they learn to eat solids and figure out what they like, they will eat more. To avoid wasting food, freeze homemade baby food in meal portion sizes. To freeze meal portions that are measured in teaspoons or tablespoons, consider using ice cube trays. Ice-cube trays can usually be found for about $1.00 each and each ice cube mold will hold about two tablespoons. Trays can be filled half full to accommodate a smaller serving size. Trays should then be placed in the freezer allowing the baby food to freeze. Once the food is frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer quality zip top bag. Press as much air out as possible while closing the bag and return the baby food cubes to the freezer. Cubes can be removed from the freezer and placed in a dish to thaw. Cubes will defrost in the refrigerator in eight to twelve hours.

As the child begins to eat more, multiple cubes can be combined to achieve a serving or multiple foods can be combined to provide new flavor experiences. Cereal can be added to thawed baby food to provide additional nutrients to the meal.

Over time a child will begin to eat even more with serving sizes reaching closer to 1/4 a cup at a time. Thawing the square cubes in a world of round containers can also become a challenge. Consider freezing larger portions directly in small freezer-safe plastic containers. Each container can be removed from the freezer, allowed to thaw in the fridge over-night and be ready for a child's meal.

Fresh baby food is not hard to prepare and a with proper freezing techniques, a little bit of work will provide a multitude of healthy child-size meals.

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